Friday Defense Briefing

44 and congressional leaders must strike a deal in “the next couple days” if they hope to avoid fiscal chaos and deep cuts to Pentagon spending, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. – Defense News

The House on Thursday morning voted to hold a conference with the Senate over the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which both chambers have passed. – The Hill’s Floor Action Blog

The powerful National Guard Association of the US [yesterday] denounced an unnamed “handful of House Armed Services Committee members” who, it says, are trying to use the ongoing House-Senate conference on the National Defense Authorization Act to reinstate cuts to the Air National Guard. – AOL Defense

A year ago, the long-term future of aircraft carriers appeared in doubt…Now, though, carrier programs are securely anchored in the Pentagon budget strategy — even with the threat of sequestration — and there is no more talk of reducing the fleet. – Aviation Week

A number of colonels will get their first star, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Thursday. The president has made these nominations to the rank of brigadier general – Associated Press

Foreign Armies East

United States intelligence agencies recently uncovered a covert deal between North Korea and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government to ship Scud missile parts from North Korea through China to Egypt. – Washington Free Beacon

Syria’s chemical weapons could be used at “a moment’s notice” and the international community should not accept any assurances from Syrian officials that they will not be used, U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said on Wednesday. – Reuters

The War

A German man who was mistaken for a terrorist and abducted nine years ago won a measure of redress on Thursday when the European Court of Human Rights ruled that his rights had been violated and confirmed his account that he had been seized by Macedonia, handed over to the C.I.A., brutalized and detained for months in Afghanistan. – New York Times

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is pressing members of the Senate Intelligence Committee to approve the public release of a controversial review of harsh interrogation tactics used on terror suspects during the 43rd administration. – DEFCON Hill

44’s commitment to closing the Guantánamo Bay prison in his second term is being tested before Inauguration Day after the Senate passed an open-ended ban on transferring Guantánamo detainees to the United States. – The Hill’s Global Affairs

Missile Defense

The United States is not investing sufficient resources in homeland missile defense even as it pours billions of dollars into developing missile shields to defend distant allies, Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) argued on Thursday. – Global Security Newswire